Automobile-signal



C. H. FELTEN. AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FiLED MAY 6. |918.

Emme@ swt. 14.; i920.

2 SHSETS-SHEETZ.

eUIroiaoerLE-srenan Application filed May 6,

Be it known that I, CHARLES il. Fouron, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the town of West Hoboken` in the county of Hudson andStateoi New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Automobile-Signals, of which the `following is a speciiication,reference being had to the accompanyinfr drawings.

An object of my invention to provide a signaling device adapted t'q bemounted onto an automobile', which deviceis provided with a plurality ofsignal arms, which are normally hidden from view, add which are adaptedto be selectively projected so as to give notice to an approachingvehicle.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for holding saidsignal arms in displayed condition until released by the act of thedriver or other person Ycontrolling the operation of the same.

Another object of my invention is to control the said signalV arms fromany convement point 1n the automobile for mstance the steering wheel,and to provide indicator means to apprise the operator of the. positionsof the signals.

In the drawings,

Figure l is an end View of an automobile equipped with my signalingdevice;

Fig. 2 is a pian view of the steering wheel with the signaling controlswitch attached thereto;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one oi the signal arms; and

Fig. is the diagrammatic view of my device showing the electricalcontrol means thereof.

Referring nowtin detail to the drawings, l represents the ySteeringwheel of an auto7 mobile and 2 the Switch plate of my signal# ingdevice. Through this switch plate project push buttons 3, 4 and 5, andthe release push button 9. l have also provided in the switch platevopenings for the lamps, 6, 7 and 8.

ln circuit with the push buttons 8, 4L and 5 are the solenoids l0, Iland l2 respectively, said circuits including the source oil .power orbattery 13. These solenoids are provided with the usual plungers 14;, l5and 16 respectively, which are hin edly connected g?, 18 .and l9`at oneend, and at the other end with the refspective rocking levers 20,21 and22. Iihese Specification of Letters Patent.

latented Sept. le, i920.,

Serial No. 32,777.

levers are normally inl the position shown by .levers 2l and 22. l'ivhenthe signal arm is in displayed position the lever is in the positionshown by lever 20. These` levers are preferaily ian-shaped at one endwhere I have provided a gear segment in mesh with the pinion 24 securedto the hinged end of the signal arm 25.

l have provided a signal-arm holder 26' whichis adapted to holdsignal-arms-in displayed position. "lf his signal holder is preferablyhinged at cue end as shown and held in normal position by the spring 27,out of Contact with the magnet 28. rl`his magnet is controlled by therelease button 9 which when depressed throws it into circuit with thebattery 'i8 and energizes the. same whereupon it draws the holder-26 toitself clearing any of the levers 20, 2l or 22 which may be,`

at the time, supported by said. holder.

lin the drawings, l have shown a signaling system embodyingthe-controloii three si nal-arms, rig-ht,7 letti and stop. s themechanism and method of operating each oi these signal-arms is similar,I will describe the mechanism and method of operating only onesigna-harm, namely the stop from which description the mechanism andmethod of operating the other signal-arms will be readily' understood.Upon pressing the 'button operating the signal-arm 3, the

solenoid l0 is energized drawing kin the sliding core le, and with'it,ythe hinged link 17 and the lever 2O which ishinged at 29. This operationengages the gear segment at the -fan-shaped end of the said lever withthe pinion 2a and raises. the signal-arm stop.7 'The narrow end of thelever 20 in its upward movement presses away the holder 26 until itclears the same when the said holder is spring-drawn. back into normalposition and the lever 20 is supported in position thereon, thusholding' the signal-arm stop in displayed'position after the circuit,completed by the pressure of the button 3, has been broken.

Upon the raising of the narrow end of the lever 2O the same raises theswitch 30 closing the 'circuit 3l causing the illumination of the lampsB2 and 6 which are wired in series said circuit, the lamp 32 illumi!`nating the sign on the signal-arm and the lamp 6 indicating that 4thesignal-arm is extended and the signal` lamp illuminated.

4 vice is about to stop, he will press the button numbered 3 on which isthe initial S standing for Stop. This'action will ener- .gize thesolenoid l() through the circuit 36 and will draw the sliding plungerlll into the solenoid and with it will draw upward the connected link 17and the rocking lever 20. As the rocking lever moves upward at itsnarrow end, the fan-shaped end which is provided' with a gear segmentmoves downward, the gear segment engaging with the pinion 24 on thesignal-arm and moves the rsignal-arm upward. As the narrow end of thelever 20 is raised it presses outward the spring-drawn holder 2G untilit clears the same when the said holder assumes its normal position andsupports the narrow end of the lever 20, thus mechanically holding thedisplayed signal-arm in position without .electrical influence. ln itsmovement upward the narrow end of the lever 20 raises the switch 3G inseries and thus .illuminates said lamps. When it is desired to vdrop thesignal-arm to its normal position the release button 9` is vdepressedand thereby the inagnet 28 in circuit with said release button 9 isenergized and draws the holder 26 to itself and away from the narrowendo the lever 20, whereby the support of the disintactas playedsignal-arm bein(T taken away2 .the saine drops by gravity into normalposition.

I have attempted in the foregoing description and accompanying drawingsto show what l believe to be the best embodiment of my invention. lt isunderstood, however, that departures may be made from the em bodiinentshown, without departure from the spirit of iny invention, and Itherefore do not wish to be restricted to the embodiment which l haveillustrated and described, but what l wish to cover by Letters Patent isset iorth in the accompanying claim.

Claim: ln an automobile signaling device, a swinging signal-arm, meansadapted to swing said signal-arm to display position comprising a leverand a solenoid operating said lever, an electric circuit embodying saidsolenoid, said circuit being adapted to be opened and closed, and whenclosed, to energine said solenoid, a second electric circuit, adapted tobe opened, and means for closing said second circuit by the operation ofthe aforesaid lever, a signal-arm lamp and an indicator lamp in seriesin said second circuit, a signal-arm holder adapted to support one endof said lever and through it said signal-arm when in display position, athird electric circuit, a magnet in said circuit, Said circuit beingadapted to be opened and closed, and when closed, to ei'iergize saidmagnet and withdraw said signalarm holder away from Said leverpermitting the signal-arm to drop into normal position. Clfliil-{LES H,FELTEN.

llVitnesses:

,Limes N. CA'rLow,

SAME lNniss.

